Mod Lux Feeds

Scene In…

Now Playing

Your Commute Home on MUNI Is Going to Suck

Scott Lucas | Photo: Courtesy Flickr | June 2, 2014

We recommend going to happy hour instead of back to your kids.

This from MUNI officials on Twitter this afternoon: "expect major delays on Muni today. Working to balance service the best we can across the city. Apologies for this inconvenience." That would be a repeat of this morning's commute, in which MUNI operators staged a sickout in protest of a contract offered to them on Friday. Here's what you need to know:

How am I going to get home?
Slowly. You're going to get home slowly. Only one-third of MUNI buses were running this morning, and the evening commute is expected to be the same. Riders reported delays of up to an hour this morning, with repeats likely for the evening commute. The MTA will be redeploying buses to focus on the downtown area, however. May we recommend enjoying the hospitality of some of San Francisco's finest liquor-serving establishment while you wait out the rush tonight?

Could I take BART?
Definitely! In fact, BART service within city limits, as well as Daly City, is only going to cost as much as a MUNI fare tonight (Sorry, Colma).

Are the workers on strike?
No, not technically. Unlike BART workers, MUNI employees are legally prohibited from striking. What they can do, however, is call out sick, which many of them have done today.

What happens next?
The contract dispute is likely to go to arbitration, in accordance with the system that city voters put in place in 2010.

What are the workers protesting?A contract proposal from management. On Friday, the workers were offered a contract that would give them 11.25 percent raises over the next two years, but also require them to increase their payments into the pension system by 7.5 percent. If the contract were ratified, it would leave MUNI operators paid at $32 an hour, the second-highest rate in the country.

When will Pando write a tone-deaf think piece about how the MUNI operators should be disrupted?The tech website isn't entirely sure what this "bus" you speak of is, but they're pretty sure that Google's self-driving cars can replace it.